Running Record (ES)
Running records fall under the reading assessment portion of your reader's workshop. They're part read aloud assessments (think: fluency assessment) and part observation. The goal of a running record is, first, to see how the student is using the strategies you're teaching in class, and second, to find out if the student is ready to advance in a reading-level system. Thinking about instruction, when you combine a running record with some analysis, you can address students mistakes and plan their next steps.
Running records are used to collect information on young readers who are still reading aloud and working on basic skills. A running record captures both how well the student reads (the number of words they read correctly) and their reading behaviors (what they say and do as they read). It can help match students with books that are right for them. Then, you can use subsequent running records to track the student's progress.
Once you do the first running record, the time in between running records will depend on how well the child is progressing and what level they are reading. An emergent reader (level aa-C for example) will be assessed close to two to four weeks, while a fluent reader (level Q-Z) might be assessed every eight to ten weeks.
Sample Running Record Assessment Schedule:
| Developmental Level | Reading Level | Schedule |
| Early Emergent readers | aa-C | every 2-4 weeks |
| Emergent readers | D-J | every 4-6 weeks |
| Early fluent readers | K-P | every 6-8 weeks |
| Fluent readers | Q-Z | every 8-10 weeks |
1. Sit next to the child so you can follow along with them as they read.
2. Choose a passage or book that is at the student's approximate reading level. (If you're wrong on the level, you can adjust up or down to get the right fit.
3. Tell the child that they will read out loud as you listen and jot some notes about their reading.
4. As the child reads, keep a record by using a running record form (a typed paper of the same passage the student is reading). Mark the page by putting a check mark about each word that is read correctly and marking errors. Here is an overview of how to mark miscues in a running record.
5. While the student is reading, intervene as little as possible.
6. Watch for how the student is using the strategies that you taught in class and pay attention to how the student is gathering meaning using structural, meaning, or visual cues.
7. If the student gets stuck on a word, wait five seconds then tell them the word. If the student is confused, explain the word and tell them to try again.
8. After the student reads the passage, ask them to retell what they read. Or, ask a few basic comprehension questions: Who was in the story? Where did the story take place? What happened?
9. After the running record, conference with the student to provide praise (for self-correcting or using reading strategies) and constructive feedback (review errors and have them reread portions correctly).
Familiarize yourself with the following terms:
| Terms | Description |
| Errors (E) |
Errors are tallied during the reading whenever a child does any of the following:
|
| Self- correction (SC) | A child realizes their error and corrects it. When a child makes a self-correction, the previous substitution is not scored as an error. |
| Meaning (M) | Meaning is part of the cueing system in which the child takes their cue to make sense of text by thinking about the story background, information from pictures, or meaning of a sentence. These cues assist in the reading of a word or phrase. |
| Structure (S) | Structure refers to the structure of language and is often referred to as syntax. Implicit knowledge of structure helps the reader know if they are reading the sounds correctly. |
| Visual (V) | Visual information is related to the look of the letter in a word and the word itself. A reader uses visual information when he or she studies the beginning sound, word length, familiar word chunks, etc. |
Marking M,S, and V on a Running Record:
When a child makes an error in a line of text, record the source(s) of the information used by the child in the second column from the right on the running record form. Write M,S, and V in to the sentence in that column. Then circle M, S, and/or V, depending on the source(s) of information the child used.
If the child self-corrects an error in a line of text, use the far right-hand column to record this information. Write M,S, and V to the right of the sentence in that column. Circle the source (s) of information the child used for the self correction
Note this is one way to mark the reading behaviors:
Calculate Accuracy: (number of words in the passage- number of incorrect mistakes) x 100/number of words in the passage. For example (218 words- 9 errors) x 100/218= 96%
| Category Description | Accuracy Rate Range |
|
Easy Text
(96-100%)
|
Move child to higher text level |
|
Appropriate Instructional Text
(93-95%)
|
A comfortable instructional text level |
|
Challenging Instructional Text
(90-92 %)
|
Child may require more direct support |
|
Hard Text
(Below 90%)
|
Move child to a lower level |
- Watch a running record to get an idea of how one teacher implements it/
- Information about reading fluency and how to support it in the classroom
- Teacher hacks to make data collection easy
Information populated from: https://www.weareteachers.com/what-are-running-records/